The Sea Dragon of Miyako-jima

It was the Year of the Water Dragon, 4170 (around A.D. 1473). Kim Jung-won breathed in the fresh sea breeze. Her black hair danced wildly in the wind, and her bronze-hued face gleamed in the midday sun. The instant the wooden bridge of the junk Sea Rider touched land, she sprinted forward, hopping lightly onto the quay of Naha. Fishermen called out their early catch, merchant ships anchored close to the jetties, and sailors hauled their goods toward the city center, where they would be sold to all of Southeast Asia. This bustling harbor was why her father came here every six months to trade. Alongside the salty tang of the sea, the air carried a subtle scent of horse hooves and freshly turned earth. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a wooden crane lifting a platform up to the deck of a junk. Two sailors, faces strained with effort, were loading crates onto it. Jung-won skipped along the quay, her heart quickening with every ship that appeared beyond the next. When she had walked the length of the harbor — and back again — she stopped, disappointed, clutching her side and panting. The junks of the Wen Trading Company were nowhere to be seen. Very unusual, she thought. At this time of year, Wen’s junks usually brought pearls and ornamental shells from the divers at the pearling grounds of Miyako-jima, selling them here in Naha. Trying to calm herself, she wandered back toward the Sea Rider. Her father would not sail back to Joseon without a respectable weight of pearls and mother-of-pearl. Negotiations often took weeks. Wen would come — and when he did, she would see Thang again. Their fathers had traded together for years. The Wen Trading Company delivered pearl goods to Naha, where the Kim Company exchanged them for lacquerware, exquisitely embroidered fabrics, brilliantly painted fans, brushes made from the finest horsehair, and other treasures beloved by the courts of Southeast Asia. In this way, the artisans of Joseon reached even the court of Emperor Chenghua in Beijing. Nearly seventy years earlier, the legendary Emperor Yongle had founded the new imperial capital. Now, Chenghua — the eighth emperor of the Ming dynasty — ruled, though it was rumored that true power lay in the hands of his concubine, Wan Guifei. Thang had once whispered that he had even seen her himself. How Jung-won longed to travel to the Chinese court with Thang someday... Over time, it was not only the wonders of Naha’s grand harbor she had come to anticipate, but also the steady rhythm of Thang’s visits. Two years ago, he had given her her first kiss. And this year... This year, they had promised to ask their fathers for permission to marry. The Wen and Kim companies — two trading empires united in the next generation. When it came to expanding his business and family wealth, Jung-won knew she could count on her father’s support. It had been their secret plan... But the days dragged on — and still, Wen’s ships did not appear. In the second week of their stay, Jung-won tossed and turned in her cabin. Suddenly, shouts rang out across the night. She leapt up at once and raced onto the deck. She was not alone — her father and the crew had also been roused. Jung-won glanced up. It must be around midnight. A junk was entering the port — its dark red flag marked by a black hawk. Jung-won gasped. It was the Red Nighthawk — the ship of Chang Sima, the most notorious pirate captain of the East China Sea. They said he possessed the finest technology the world could offer — that he had once even sailed around the globe. Chang ruled these waters. Every trading company that anchored here paid tribute to him. Jung-won ran to the landing stage and hid behind a stack of sailors’ chests, peeking out as the Red Nighthawk docked. The ship looked battered — sails torn and hanging limply — as though it had barely escaped a violent storm. It took a long while for the ship to tie up and for the crew to stumble ashore. The first steps on land always looked awkward for those who lived their lives at sea. The pirates made their way toward the taverns, and Jung-won pressed herself against the wall of a house. She caught a fragment of conversation. “Sea dragons... in the south...” someone snapped. Her heart hammered in her chest. The south... That was where Miyako-jima lay. In that instant, Jung-won made her decision: If anyone knew what had happened to Wen’s fleet, it was Chang.